How to Get Rid of Slugs

Slugs can be a nuisance for gardeners because they often cause damage to plants, and if you are having problems with these slimy creatures in your garden, there are several methods that can be used to get rid of them.

A type of mollusk, slugs are typically present from spring to fall in cool, moist and shaded areas. They tend to be active at night, although they can also be seen in the daytime in cooler, shaded spots.

What Do Slugs Eat?

While slugs are an important food source for birds and other animals, including shrews, mice, squirrels, salamanders and hedgehogs, they aren't always welcome in gardens because of their feeding habits.

Slugs feed on a host of plants—mostly ones that aren't fully located in the sun—as well as some fruits and vegetables.

"Slugs eat holes in leaves, stems, flowers, tubers, and bulbs," Janice Stillman, editor of The Old Farmer's Almanac, told Newsweek.

"Sometimes they will eat fruit, such as strawberries. Seedlings and new growth on herbaceous plants in spring are the most vulnerable," she said.

The holes that slugs create, which can sometimes be large, can affect the appearance of your plants, but most of time the damage is purely cosmetic and unlikely to harm the plant, according to Julie Weisenhorn at the University of Minnesota Department of Horticultural Science. But in some severe cases, slug feeding can injure or even kill plants.

If you notice holes in your plants, one sign that slugs could be responsible are the silver trails of slime that they leave behind, Weisenhorn told Newsweek.

How to Get Rid of Slugs?

Slugs are slimy and love cool, damp and shady conditions. So, removing these conditions can make the surrounding environment less hospitable for them, according to Weisenhorn.

"This includes increasing light and reducing moisture—i.e water less and turn off your irrigation," she said. "Selective pruning will increase light and allow the surface of the soil to dry out."

"Adjusting the plant form by removing lower leaves that slugs can reach and reducing or turning off irrigation will often take care of slug problems."

Hosta, commonly known as plantain lilies, are one of slugs' favorite plants and the feeding habits of these creatures can often ruin their beautiful leaves.

"Remove the lower leaves of a hosta so the leaves are not lying on the soil," Weisenhorn said. "This increases light and will create a slightly drier environment."

Because slugs have soft, slimy, bodies and are somewhat hesitant to crawl over sharp surfaces, introducing certain materials to your garden can impede their movements.

"Coarse wood mulch under plants and abrasive products like diatomaceous earth may slow down slugs somewhat or send them elsewhere for their next meal," Weisenhorn said.

There are also pesticides that can be applied to certain high-value or high-priority plants that you want to protect.

"As with all pesticides, read and follow the label including using personal protective equipment, keeping them away from pets and children, and storing the product safely after use," she said.

Laying boards in garden pathways and between rows of plants can attract slugs, which can then easily be removed.

"In the morning, turn them over to find slugs that took up residence during the night. Just scrape them off into soapy water," Weisenhorn said.

"Slugs also like beer. Sink a shallow pan like a cake pan into the soil up to the top. Fill it with beer leaving about one inch below the edge of the pan. Slugs will fall into the beer and drown. And the good news: no need to use good beer—save that for the gardener. Cheap beer is just fine."

You can also use halved citrus fruits, such as oranges or grapefruits, to create effective slug traps that can be placed in strategic locations, according to Stillman.

Scrape out the flesh and membranes from half of a grapefruit or an orange and place it cut-side-down on the ground. "Lift and check for slugs in the morning," she said.

Another way to protect garden plants from slugs, particularly seedlings, is to put a 'collar" around them, Stillman said.

"Collars can be bottomless paper cups; a few inches of the inner cardboard roll from paper towels, wrapping paper, or toilet paper—depending on the size of the seedling. Note that cardboard may need to be replaced after rain or watering."

"Plastic barriers can work, too. Sink these slightly into the ground to keep slugs from crawling under them," she said.